Saying Goodbye
by moviefreak1
Summary: Troy must say goodbye to the one person who means most to him.


Author's Note: This is my first High School Musical fic. Everything I have done so far has been Power Rangers. Hope you guys enjoy it. 

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

As Troy Bolton walked around the now familiar site with roses in his hand, he still couldn't beleive that he was here. Years after it had happened, being here still didn't seem to make sense. How could He have taken her from him. He made his way through the familiar path until he found where he wanted to be. He stepped up to the site and kneeled down, gently placing the roses at his feet. He brushed away the lingering pieces of grass as he looked down at the granite. He slowly traced his fingers across the lettering.

"Gabriella Montez. 1990-2010. Loving daughter and friend."

"Hey Gabby." Troy whispered. "I know I promised I'd come more often but it's hard. It's hard coming here because I have to accept that you're really gone.  
It seems like yesterday when I got the call."

**Flashback**

"Hello?" Troy Bolton said as he picked up the ringing telephone.

"Troy." Came the whisper on the other end.

"Chad?" Troy asked.

"Troy, you need to come home." Chad replied.

"Chad what's wrong?"

"Troy, you need to come home. Book the next available flight out of Seattle and come home to Albequerque."

"Chad, you're starting to scare me. What's wrong?"

"I'll be at the airport waiting for you. Let me know when you book a flight."

"Chad? Chad?" Troy yelled as he heard the phone disconnect.

The next day Troy got a flight out of Seattle. He landed in Albequerque around 5 p.m. True to his word, Chad was there waiting for him. As Troy descended down the escalator and saw his childhood friend, he realized that something was bothering Chad. As he got closer to him, Troy realized that Chad's eyes were red.

"Chad?" Troy said as he got closer.

"Troy." Chad whispered as he hugged his friend.

"What's going on? Why did I need to come home and why are your eyes red?"

"Troy, I got a call yesterday morning. Right before I called you. It's Gabriella. She was in a car accident. She didn't make it man."

"What?" Troy asked on the verge of tears.

"Gabriella's dead."

"Chad stop playing with me."

"I wish I was man. Mrs. Montez called me around 6 in the morning. She's gone man."

Chad dropped Troy off at his childhood home. When they arrived, Jack Bolton answered the door and instantly knew Chad had told his son. He wrapped his son in a hug.

"Is it true?" Troy asked, muffled by his tears and his dad's shirt.

"Yeah it is son."

Troy looked around and saw everyone he knew growing up. Chad, Jason, Zeke, Sharpay, Taylor, Ryan and Kelsi. Everyone but her and he knew it was true.  
The next day, Gabriella Montez was laid to rest. The outpooring of people surprised many. The entire church was decorated in orange and white, Gabriella's High School colors. Several people got up to say things about Gabriella. Troy, along with the old East High Basketball team, led by Coach Bolton got up in front of everyone. Each player had their old jerseys that they hadn't worn in years. One by one, each player set their jersey on top of the casket and walked up to her still body and placed a kiss on their fallen friend. Last to do so was Troy. He laid his jersey on the casket so that his name was facing upwards like everyone else had done. He walked over to Gabriella and pulled out another jersey. He showed everyone in the church. The Jersey read #1. He then turned the jersey around. On the back was written "Montez". He laid the jersey on top of Gabriella, then bent down so he could talk to her. As he started talking to her, "We're Breaking Free", the same song they had sung at the callbacks in high school started playing.

"Soar free. Fly high. I'll see you again one day Gabby. I love you. I'm sorry I never got around to telling you but I loved you from the moment we met on New Years Eve. I'll miss you Gabby." Troy then kissed Gabriella for the first and last time and walked away from the casket.

Everyone proceeded to the cemetary where the final ceremonies would take place. Mrs. Montez had asked Troy to sing at the ceremony.

"Troy, I know it's going to be hard, but I know that Gabriella would want to hear you sing one last time." She pleaded.

Troy reluctantly agreed. As he got up to begin, he looked shakily over to his friends. All of them nodded, giving him their strength and encouragement.  
He slowly started singing "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton. By the end of the song, Troy was crying again, along with everyone in the cemetary.  
One by one, people started leaving the site. Each said a final goodbye to Gabriella. Troy was the only one left. He just stared at the closed casket for several minutes before tracing it with his fingers. "What am I going to do without you Gabby? I'll never forget you. You'll always be right here." He said pointing at his heart. "And everytime I look up to the stars, I know you'll be watching over me. Bye Gabby."

**End Flashback**

"I've only been here a few times since that Gabby and I'm sorry. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of you. Chad has tried to tell me to take this off" he said pointing at a ring on his right hand. "I can't do it. He says that when I do, I'll be able to move on. This ring was the only thing I ever received from you. It has more sentimental value than anything I own. I can't just take it off. I know you remember this ring. You gave it to me when we graduated. Remember?"

**Flashback**

"Here you go Wildcat. Just for you" Gabriella said to Troy as she handed him a small box.

Troy opened the small box to see a ring with an emerald as it's centerpiece.

"It's great Gabby. Thank you."

"Look at the side." She said.

"T and G. BF4L?"

"Troy and Gabriella. Best Friends For Life. Too long to actually write it."

"Thank you so much Gabby." Troy said as he picked her up in bear hug.

**End Flashback**

"So you see Gabby, I can't do it. I don't really want to either. I just wish I had gotten to see you one more time before your accident. Then I could have told you how I felt about you."

"Troy?" A voice came from behind.

Troy turned around to see his best friend.

"Chad? What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are, although I'm sure it's for different reasons." Chad said as he placed his flowers next to Troy's on the headstone.

"Hey Gabriella. I just wanted to come and say hi and that I miss you." Chad said.

"She knows, bro." Troy said.

"How long have you been here?" Chad asked.

"About twenty minutes."

"I'll give you some more time."

"Thanks."

Troy leaned down again and resumed talking to his friend.

"The past year has been hard on my Gabby. I just don't know how to tell you just how much you meant to me and how much I miss you."

"I know how much you miss me, Troy." A voice came from behind.

A chill ran up Troy's spine at the voice. He slowly turned around to see Gabriella standing a few feet in front of him. She was wearing the jersey he placed in the casket when he had seen her at the funeral.

"Gabby?"

"It's me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I know you've been beating yourself up Troy. There's nothing you could have done to change what happened to me. It was my time. Just because you never got to tell me how you felt didn't mean that I didn't know. I too, wish I could have heard you say it when I was alive but don't think I didn't hear you say it that day in the church. Troy, I love you too and I'm sorry it took this to happen for us to finally say it to each other. But I think, we always knew. We didn't have to say it, we could see it in each other's eyes. I love you Troy Bolton. You're right, we'll see each other again someday."

"How's heaven?"

"I wouldn't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I got to the gate and they opened it but I told them I wouldn't come in, not without my best friend. Not without the man I love. Not without you."

"Gabby, you have to go. Who knows when it's going to be my time."

"That doesn't matter to me Troy. I'm not going in without you. I'll wait. I have all the time in the world."

"You'll wait for me?"

"Yeah, because I know that you are my soul mate, which is why I took the liberty of changing this jersey."

"What do you mean?"

Gabriella turned around. The jersey still read "Montez" but now it read "Montez-Bolton".

"I'm yours Troy. Forever and always."

"I love you Gabriella."

"I love you too, Troy."

With that, Gabriella dissapeared and left Troy all by himself, standing in the cemetary. He looked down at the headstone, placed his fingers to his lips and touched the granite one last time before heading to his car and driving away.

The End.


End file.
